“Do I have to spell it out for you?”
She stepped on his foot again when he tilted his head and stared at her. Her hand wasn’t letting go, and her face was red, but obviously not because of the cold weather. Half her bread was already gone, and because it was so hot she kept sniffling and panting.
“You are as happy as the stupidest mutt.”
Once more she sighed, then continued sniffling. She wasn’t looking at him, but he could tell she was struggling. He stared at her face like it was more alluring than the sweetest honeyed bread, thinking about how she’d chased down her old companion only to find that a message was all that was left. A sad message that only she knew, which kept repeating itself in her mind.
It finally dawned on him what he had to offer her, even though the only advantage he had over Myuri was being alive. He had goals, and would see them through. There was no way he’d actually buy a shop here, no matter how cheap it was. He didn’t know anything about this town, and it was a place controlled by the Diva company. He was actually unnerved by how lively the place was.
But this wasn’t the time for realism. What they needed now was hope, even false hope, so he took one last look at the empty shop and then took her hand again.
“Sorry, mind if we go back?”
Holo looked up at him.
“I’d like to draw my dream shop again.”
Her lips twitched, so he knew he was probably right. The anger in her eyes melted away into a soft, doughy look.
“But this is the shop you want, is it not?”
She just had to ask, snapping them back to boring reality again. He didn’t think for a second that she would agree with opening a shop here. He carefully chose his response.
“Cheap and inexpensive aren’t the same things. It’s prudent to remember that.”
It was an important fact. Her ears shifted, and her expression became vague.
“If you miss this chance, do not try to rationalize it by saying this shop must have been bad.”
“Of course I won’t. You know me better than that, don’t you?”
Her eyes grew wide and she craned her neck, revealing an evil grin. It was the same grin that led to his mistake in a Lenos alley. Thankfully, humans were capable of learning. He snatched a piece of her honeyed bread, right where she’d chewed it and ate it, fancying that it must be what her lips tasted like. As usual, she seemed to read his mind, and sighed while poking him.
“You really are a fool.”
It seemed that they were finally back to normal.
* * *
He’d drawn his dream shop many times now. In fact, this wasn’t the first time he’d done so in front of Holo, but it was the first time she joined him. It warmed him to the core and, better still, Holo seemed to have recovered as well.
“How will the sunlight come in?”
She debated the floor plan with him, then the placement of furniture, then the sizes of the windows. At first he wasn’t sure if she was forcing herself, but it soon became clear that she was enjoying herself with her running commentary; she didn’t stop saying things like “this would make the place more lively” and “that will just look stupid.” It made him suddenly wonder if wolves were this fussy with their dens.
“This place would get the most sun.. hmm.. we will have to put my bed there.”
The best-lit room on the second floor was generally reserved for the owner of a company. Lawrence couldn’t help but twitch in annoyance, even if they were just doing this for fun. It was somehow starting to feel less like a dream and more like something that might actually be, so he started getting serious.
“That would be the owner’s room.”
Of course, Holo pretended she didn’t hear his complaint and kept right on talking. He just couldn’t keep up with her, even when they were playing around. It was always such a source of frustration that he’d even forgotten that the point of this exercise was to cheer her up.
“Hmm, is there no room in your shop for me?”
“Of course not.”
“How can that be?”
She spoke softly with a gentle smile, and he couldn’t bring himself to reply. Not even to curse her. But she still put her finger across his lips and spoke.
“Say no more, or all my hard work will be wasted.”
She was joking, but with a serious tone. This really wasn’t the time for him to add to her worries. She was already struggling with the news about Myuri, he reminded himself. That smile she had on her face now was genuine. He stopped staring into her eyes and nodded. He continued drawing that room on the second floor.
“Oh..”
She was surprised at what he drew, so he spoke.
“I can’t very well handle a shop like this on my own. I’ll need someone to help me.”
It was such a forced line that it sounded a bit nauseating, so he quickly added a desk to the room as she softly chuckled. They then added some more furniture and goods to their imagined shop. It felt like it was so possible, even if it wasn’t. Holo giggled and argued with Lawrence as they continued, but after the basic floor plan was done, they had less to argue about.
They grew quieter and quieter, just enjoying their imaginary ideal shop. Holo was so relaxed it looked like she was practically in that shop already, like she was enjoying a lovely spring afternoon. In fact, she eventually began to nod off. Of course, Lawrence had no desire to rudely wake her, and he knew she didn’t want to go to bed anyway. He just kept working as she napped, and watched her each time she woke up and dried her mouth.
In the end, though, he noticed that each time she woke up it was with a tinge of worry. At first it looked just like a person who wondered if they ought to just go to bed, but he soon realized the truth. Each time she would look at him before returning to sleep, it was as if making sure he was really still there.
She had lived for hundreds of years. Her time with Lawrence was incredibly brief, and must seem like a nap to her. Even her old peers were gone now, the ones she’d always hoped to meet again. She clearly wanted to stay awake as long as she could.
Lawrence had told himself so many times that he had too little time, and had to keep trading rather than just being lazy on their trip. He’d told her that too, on many occasions. But really, she was the one with too little time. She wanted to have more, even just an extra second.
It was now clear just how brief his time with her truly was. He set down his pencil and ran his finger along her bangs. She frowned in annoyance, and her ears flattened slightly, but she was still asleep. He stared at her face, feeling awful. They had come here to find the Myuri mercenary band and see what Diva was up to. But there was nothing they could do to stop them.
They could act like heroes all they wanted to, but it wouldn’t help. Lawrence was just a traveling merchant, and even if Holo could fight hundreds of people at once, their opponent was a mining firm with tens of thousands of supporters. They even had expert soldiers worrying about them, like the captain of the Myuri mercenaries. It didn’t take a genius to know that he would be their shield.
He might have promised to do everything he could to help Holo, but she wouldn’t want him to throw his life away to keep Yoitsu from being occupied. He wasn’t sure, but he didn’t think she would fight for Yoitsu anymore either. At least not to the death. That was what his gut told him.
She might be a giant wolf, but she’d been happier traveling in this small body with a merchant, wandering the corners of the world. It seemed that in spite of how painful it was to her, she was trying to catch up with the modern era. Her desire to go home and find her old friends was for closure, no matter how unpleasant the results were. She had lagged in those wheat fields for centuries, and it wasn’t her fault that the world was passing her by.
He caught himself touching her hair again and wondered what he could possibly do in Lesco. Even if he found out what Diva was up to, would he have to surrender to their will? In that case, shouldn’t he just be a selfish mercha
nt and get rich in spite of everyone’s anger and shock? None of his options were good ones.
His mind drifted back to the Great Brondel Monastery of the snowy Winfield Kingdom. He remembered Holo’s words as they played in the snow, but this time he was in too deep to just leave. He knew what was going to happen even if he left, so he had to do something.
His anger at not being a hero was palpable; Holo was so important that he wanted to be one just to be able to help her, even if he couldn’t quite put it into words. He would die for her. She was asleep now, but her face looked tired from all her tears. How would he make her smile again? Even a silly grin or forced smile would do, so he had to start planning for tomorrow.
He sat looking at the hearth as he thought it over. The last kind of smile he wanted to see was the kind where she was covering old wounds. He wanted to see the bright smile of someone looking forward to a fresh future under the sun. But no matter how much he thought, nothing was coming to him. All he could do was be her fool, and do his best to make her laugh.
By the time he finally moved her onto the bed, she was in a deep sleep. He tended to her as he usually did before she fell asleep, then set her down comfortably. She looked so defenseless right now, as soft as a cat and just as warm. He had to struggle to suppress the urge to take things too far, but he managed.
In the end he just caressed her face once more and put on his coat. He needed to go outside for a bit. But before he did, he placed the picture they had drawn next to her pillow. He chuckled at the strange groan she let out, presumably because she had smelled the ink.
He walked down the hall, but didn’t want to go downstairs just yet. Instead he walked up to the next floor, looking for a specific person. He hadn’t heard their footsteps, but assumed they would be in their room.
He coughed and cleared his throat to swallow his nervousness, then knocked on the door. The man who opened the door was an adult with silver hair and an impressive trimmed beard. He was the staff sergeant of the Myuri mercenaries.
Chapter 3
The staff sergeant’s name was Moid Markus. Lawrence was impressed with his grip when Markus actively reached his hand out to shake Lawrence’s. After sitting down, Lawrence took note of the piles of paper and scrolls, as well as the odd mixture of quills and swords.
“You want to know what’s going on in town?”
Moid blinked when Lawrence explained why he had come. He stared at Lawrence with his large, animalian eyes. It seemed that Myuri had not told anyone about Holo and Lawrence, but they must have surely guessed regardless. After all, they had been ordered to treat them as honored guests. This was corroborated by the mere fact that Moid was even taking the time to talk to Lawrence.
“Yes. I took a stroll around town this morning, and many things caught the attention of my inner merchant.”
Especially that stone tablet that read “no restrictions on craftsmen.” Craftsmen were normally as restricted as caged animals, at least according to a landowner Lawrence had once spoken to, who saw it as a great strategy. Every town Lawrence had been to was very restrictive. Of course, he was only asking Moid out of curiosity, not suspicion.
“Well.. this place is quite unique.”
It felt strange to be treated so politely by Moid. Lawrence felt less like a welcomed guest, and more like he was being waited-on by a servant. It made him see why Holo hated being treated this way.
“I noticed a stone tablet that said that there are ‘no restrictions on craftsmen.”’
Moid stared at him from the other end of the cluttered desk, then flashed him a twisted, stony smile.
“I see.. so that’s why you stared at that building for so long.”
So they were being watched back then; that was a bit embarrassing, but hardly a surprise. Lawrence was only doing what he had to do so Holo would smile again. And now, his investigations into Diva company were beginning to comfort even him. After all, they might lead to him opening his own shop.. it was even more important now. If Diva wasn’t going to war, and wasn’t going to ruin Yoitsu, there was even a chance he might open his shop here. He just had to ease his conscience first.
“Exactly. That’s why I’m here.”
“So you’re curious about whether there are restrictions on merchants opening shops, are you?”
Lawrence gave a cautious nod.
“Indeed.”
He wanted to come here after Holo was asleep because he didn’t want her to see such a poor performance. He wanted to maintain some dignity in her eyes.
“There’s no branch of my guild here, and they told me to stay away from here, but still..”
“It’s too much of an opportunity to overlook.”
It seemed that all high-ranking mercenaries thought like merchants. It was possible they even thought more like Lawrence did then all of those guild-affiliated city merchants.
“Based on all of my time here, I doubt there would be many restrictions.”
Moid gave the obvious answer.
“But I’m sure you already figured out why, Mr. Lawrence.”
Hearing himself called “mister” almost brought a smile to his face, but Moid was a mercenary. They took social status even more seriously than merchants did. Smiling now would be disrespectful to someone treating him so well, so Lawrence remained serious.
“I think I’ve got the idea, given that the metalworker’s avenue looks like something from the south, and even the innkeeper here doesn’t look very northern.”
“Quite. This is an immigrant town.”
Mercenaries went wherever the fighting lead them. They were quite familiar with colonization efforts.
“But it’s quite young, and hardly famous yet. Maybe that’s because the landowners are trying to keep from upsetting their neighbors, since we’re quite far from Diva’s main base.”
That was Lawrence’s guess as well. If all they wanted to do was mine, they would just do business with the villages and towns next to the mines.
“They’ve gathered people from the empires south of Ploania, and people on the western coasts. Lenos may not have stopped you from coming, but I’ll wager they didn’t tell you much about Lesco, right?”
Lawrence nodded.
“The merchants there knew virtually nothing.”
“This place was founded by Diva company, so you’d expect it to be a simple mining town. But it’s so prosperous and lively that Diva wants to keep it a big secret.”
Mining companies liked to keep their prosperous towns a secret, so that checked out. Traveling merchants were kept in the dark so the big players wouldn’t figure it out.
“Diva is, after all, quite powerful these days. But for all their wealth and status, they still have to avoid being exploited by the wealthy. They have to pick and choose their fights. It’s a risky enterprise, especially with so many people from failed companies trying to make a fresh start here.”
Moid took a pause before putting his hands together and speaking with a softer expression.
“So..”
A staff sergeant had to hire mercenaries from people who were considered trash by society, so it made sense for Moid to feel a bit of a bond with Diva in that regard.
“Those who are going through hard times will be more willing to abandon their dark past and faith. Diva feels they can run things more smoothly by giving those people a new hope, rather than restricting them. And as far as the northern lands go.. well, the captain already told you about that.”
Lawrence quickly recalled that Myuri mentioned the issues with land ownership, and that there was no easy solution. Diva was carefully using this to their advantage.
“It’ll be great if everything goes smoothly, and things are off to a fine start. Lesco’s craftsmen already have a great reputation.”
Moid pulled the hilt of his sword to reveal a fine blade with a blueish tinge.
“And it’s not just refugees from the south. Everyone needs to make a living, so just the temptation of food and freedom will
bring all sorts of skilled people here. In the end..”
He released the hilt of his sword and it slid back into the sheath naturally. He was a staff sergeant, but he clearly had brains. When Lawrence considered that, he felt ashamed - like a naive young kid.
“You end up with an unbelievably prosperous town.”
Traveling merchants like Lawrence were the sort who’d been everywhere and had much experience. But mercenaries were war survivors who were far beyond that level. They’d walked on every inch of soil, burned towns down, and helped rebuild them. And Moid didn’t seem to be being optimistic, he was truly convinced of this town’s prosperity.
A free town where people could make a fresh start. If that were true, then anyone desperate who heard of this place would think that God hadn’t given up on them.
“As such I feel that opening a shop here would be the best choice you could make for yourself. We came here because we heard a lot of bad rumors, but found this place instead. I don’t even think Diva wants to start a war.”
If that wasn’t their aim, then Lawrence really would be in heaven here. It was a new place without a lot of complicated issues, so it was perfect for a traveler like him.. and Holo. He realized it was stupid for him to keep thinking this way, but Hugh, the sheep in Gerube, had shown him that creatures like Holo could live among humans. Even Diana, a bird, and Huskins, a sheep pretending to be a shepherd, had made new homes for themselves. Many of their kind had settled in this way.
Lawrence had been so lonely that he’d begun to think he might never get a chance like this. But it was a possibility. There were a lot of examples that it was real, so he really could become one of those examples. He had to calm himself by swallowing hard. Moid smiled calmly in response. He seemed to be looking at Lawrence like a young potential recruit. It made Lawrence feel a mix of strange things; joy, embarrassment, even anger. In the end it felt like he had to resist a little.
“I’ve always heard that the victors are the ones who arrive after the fight.”
Moid smiled proudly.
“I really wish I was still as young as you are.”